A.C. Leonard decommits from Florida Gators again, but this time might be for good

October 14, 2010|By

By Chris Hays | Orlando Sentinel

Last December, Jacksonville Ribault star athlete A.C. Leonard committed to the Florida Gators in November, near the end of his junior season.

A month later, when Florida coach Urban Meyer made his 24-hour resignation and then reconsidered the decision, Leonard quickly decommitted, telling the Florida Times Union, "I'm decommitting. It's just too many changes, so I'm opening it back up."

Meyer eventually talked Leonard into sticking with the Gators, but the thought of decommiment was in his head. He certainly had a long way to go to remain committed all the way to signing day of 2011. He didn't make it, yet.

Leonard decommitted again on Wednesday morning, perhaps having seen too much in back-to-back Gators' losses during his recent visits to Alabama for the Tide's shellacking of the Gators, and then again Saturday night in The Swamp, where the Gators fell to LSU.

The 6-3, 235-pound 5-star tight end/linebacker, who transferred to Jacksonville University Christian over the summer, has said he's interested in Nebraska, where he visited earlier this season, Alabama and Miami, where he plans to visit soon.

"The thing he told me is that he'd like to see what else is out there before he makes a [final] commitment," University Christian head coach Hugh Nivens told TiderInsider.com. "He feels like he [committed] as a junior without truly knowing.

"He knows Florida is a great place. But now as he gets closer to this thing -- he wants to be in school by December -- he wants to see what else is out there. He says he's got five visits and wants to make sure he takes them all and make sure."

Leonard made an official visit Nebraska and then took one to Tuscaloosa on October 2 for the Alabama-Florida game.

"I think the visits he's taken have opened his eyes," Nivens says. "I think he was very impressed [with Alabama]. The thing that sticks out about Alabama is that they have a fantastic defense, obviously. He's very impressed by that. It definitely caught his attention. I think that's probably made an impact more than anything else."

Leonard committed to Florida as a tight end. Alabama is recruiting him as a Jack linebacker.

Nivens says that's what has Leonard questioning.

"He's looking at it and saying, 'Do I want to play for one of the best offenses in college football? Or am I a guy who wants to play on defensive side of the ball for one of the best defenses in college football?' I think that's been the biggest question mark," Nivens says. "It's the biggest thing that has gotten his attention from [Alabama] and really where he's got to make a decision now.

"Alabama is recruiting him as that hybrid linebacker that can put his hand down if they needed him to bring pressure off the edge or cover a guy in space if they needed him to. We play him as a linebacker. He has natural skills like size, speed and strength. He's got great ball skills. Covering territory for him is not that difficult with his size and speed and strength and also the way he can break on the ball and play the ball. He's a physical kid, too. He likes contact."

As for a report that Leonard is no longer under considering Florida, Nivens says that's "not the case at all."

"He's not indicated that to me in any way at all," Nivens says. "I would say right now that it's definitely Alabama and Florida to battle it out to where he goes.

"This is not from him. This is just my speculation. I think that you'll see him make a decision in December before he goes down to play in the Under Armour All-American Game. He's doing everything he can [to graduate in December] to enroll in school in January."